Retting plant.



A. GAPPELAERE.

RETTIN G PLANT. APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 1901.

908,840. Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT CAPPELAERE, OF LILLE, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO ROUISSAGES BELGESLEGRAND & OIE. SOOIETE ANONYME, OF GHENT, BELGIUM.

RE 'ITING PLANT;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT CAPPELAERE, commercial agent, a citizen ofthe French Republic, and residing at Lille, France, have invented newand useful Improvements in Betting Plants; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My present invention relates to retting plants and has for its object toprovide a combination of means, whereby the retting of flax and the likemaybe practiced with the same advantages as if the flax were retted in anatural river.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown one form of construction ofmy invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal section ofthe retting tank. Fig. 3 shows a longitudinal section of the flaxsupporting and water spreading grating. Fig. 4 is a cross section of thetank.

The invention consists of a double series arranged the several admissionand discharge conduits, said tanks being provided with water tight doorsthrough which the flax or other material to be treated is introducedinto and removed from the same. Said conduits are provided with suitablevalves by means of which the several tanks may be put into and out ofcommunication with each other. Said tanks receive fresh or regeneratedwater from a reservoir 3 and through conduits 4, 5. Each tank has anadmission valve 6, and the water is admitted below the flax to be rettedin uniform strata by means of wooden grates 7 which support the bundlesof flax. The bars of said grates are made hollow and provided withperforations so as to act as sprinklers. The clear water which is lessdense than the water already contained in the mass of flax undertreatment, rises in the tanks and causes the soiled water to bedischarged through over-flows 8, 8 into return conduits 9, 9 whence apump 10 forces said water back into the feed-reservoir 8 arranged abovethe retting tanks. In said reservoir the soiled water may be cleaned orregenerated by means of lime, potash or any other suitable basic salt,capable of removing its acidity and precipitating the dissolved organicsubstances. When the water is thus neutralized and purified, it may beused indefinitely and the retting operation will produce useful.byproducts. The main discharge conduit 11 receives the water of thefirst dissolution, which is a mere washing of the easily soluble organicmaterials. This brown coloredwater is forced by a pump 12 into thereservoir 13 and likewise regenerated or purified to be again used for afirst washing of the flax. To this end, a conduit 14 extends from saidreservoir to the main admission conduit.

This new retting plant permits of working in accordance with thevariations of production of the seasons. D uring the fine season itpermits of doubling the production by retting in single time in eachtank a double layer of material. During the cold season, when no largequantities of flax are available, only a certain number of tanks will beused for treating the same. On the other hand it permits of easilycontrolling the time and intensity of retting by opening more or lessthe admission valves.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is 1. A retting tank provided with a series ofhorizontal perforated grate-bars, an inlet pipe connecting with saidperforated bars, and an overflow pipe, substantially as set forth.

2. A retting tank, provided with a series of perforated grate-bars, atreating tank, an inlet pipe connecting the tank with the said gratebars, and an overflow pipe for the soiled water. p

3. A retting tank provided with a series of perforated grate-bars, atreating tank, an inlet pipe connected to the perforated gratebars, anda pump adapted to force the soiled Water from theoutlet into thetreating tank.

4. A retting tank having perforated gratebars arranged in severalhorizontal layers, in combination with an inlet pipe discharging intosaid grate-bars, and a soiled water overflow pipe, substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

. ALBERT CAPPELAERE.

Witnesses LEON FAURE, HENRI VINART.

